We're all familiar with the ring doughnut as an American confection. One thing I've always been curious about is why they have holes in them (or are toroidal in shape). What advantages, if any, does ...

I know that pre-Colombian chocolate was less sweet and more bitter, but I can't find a recipe for it. That fact probably means that it doesn't taste great, but I'd like to try it anyway.
The closest ...

my dad mentioned today that he loved this coffee he used to get once in a while in the early 80's called Lucerne (not sure about the spelling). He said it was in a white can with red lettering and he ...

My grandfather-in-law was born in England in the 1920s and fought in World War II. Somewhere along the line he acquired the habit of salting his beer before drinking it, which persisted for the rest ...

I want to make a historically accurate biblical meal for a group. I'm using chicken, and serving it with flatbread and an Israeli salad (sans tomatoes and other new world vegetables)
Does anyone have ...

Is there a reason we use salt and pepper on so many dishes and they can be found in any kitchen table at dinner time? Does it have to do with their flavor synergies, or were they just more available ...

I have heard that the spiciness of Palak paneer is regional, but I don't have any historical or geographical facts to confirm this. So, is there anybody around here that knows if a proper, old-school ...

I want to know where cheese dip was invented. Based on this article it was invented in Arkansas.
This documentary goes into more detail about it being from Mexico Chiquito, a restaurant in Arkansas.
...

I'm serving food to 11 people in a dinner that is supposed to be set at the house of the Deputy Mayor of Casablanca in 1942. I can't seat that many people at table, so the food will have to be capable ...

I am a Brit married into a French family, so there has obviously been some teasing and so-on over the years about the relative merits of the two cooking cultures :P
I recently took my wife's uncle to ...

At a classic Los Angeles Deli for lunch yesterday, I snagged my usual take-out guilty pleasure for later: a fresh-baked Chinese Cookie. This is a four or five inch diameter short-bread cookie with a ...

Did they have whipped cream in the olden days before electricity? I think that they might have. I'm sure I've seen a portrait of Henry VIII munching some of that creamy goodness before.
But what on ...

Powdered egg is emblematic of all that was was ghastly and difficult about cooking during WWII. At least in Britain, but perhaps also in other countries during that period.
Supposedly it was pretty ...